We just got back from the beach yesterday evening. (And yes, Mom, I will do a vacation post with pictures soon!) Every night, Jeremy and Audrey (and sometimes Troy) went out crab hunting. Now you know they are the critter-getters in this family. That is totally not my thing, although I am happy to take pictures of everything they catch. So one of the nights they were out there, I just went and stood in the edge of the surf, talking to God about how amazing water is. I put zero stock in astrology and horoscopes, but if I did, it would be totally fitting that I was born under a water sign. I love the water. Ocean. Creek. Lake. River. Pool. Sprinkler. Rain. Shower. I like it all.
I love how water cleanses. It makes all things fresh and new. Even when it washes trash down, it is cleansing from somewhere on up the line. A gentle rain washes away pollen. A gullywasher takes care of bigger jobs. We wash the outsides of our bodies with water, and we drink water to purify the insides of our bodies.
I love all the ways water seems to contradict itself.
Water is powerful. Strong waves beat about on the sea. Raging rivers run rampant. Water has the strength to topple trees and buildings, cause mudslides and erosion. Even a series of small steady drops will eventually wear away whatever it drips on.
But water is also gentle. Tranquil waves lap the shoreline. Lazy creeks sing as they bubble over the sand and gravel below.
Water is wild. The storms and the seas can’t be controlled or contained.
But water can also be calm enough that an animal can stop and draw from it, swim and float in it, frolic in it. A still pool reflects the sky above.
Water can be deadly. The force it carries can be crushing, washing clean the land it covers.
But it is also live-giving. All plants and animals depend on it for survival.
Be like water.
Grab hold of the strength, confidence, and power that God has given you.
But be gentle with those around you.
Embrace your wildness. Don’t conform or let the world contain you. Live your life with the abundance God promised. Embrace the unique masterpiece God made you to be.
But also take time to be calm and tranquil. Time to reflect and renew.
Deadly is a stretch, but if you look at it as wiping clean, starting over, and putting your past behind you…dying to the old man and living fresh and new in Christ.
And be life-giving. Speak words of encouragement, words of hope, words that will nourish the soul.
Make the peace and hope and love of Christ rain on everyone you come in contact with.
